An akathist (Greek, akathistos) is a hymn dedicated to a saint, holy event, or one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. The word akathist itself means "not sitting." The akathist par excellence is that written in the 6th century to the Theotokos. In its use as part of the Salutations to the Theotokos service (used in the Byzantine tradition during Great Lent), it is often known by its Greek or Arabic names, Chairetismoi and Madayeh, respectively.
The writing of akathists (occasionally spelled acathist) continues today as part of the general composition of an akolouthia,
especially in the Slavic tradition, although not all are widely known
nor translated beyond the original language. Isaac E. Lambertsen has
done a large amount of translation work, including many different
akathists. Most of the newer akathists are pastiche, that is, a generic
form imitating the original 6th century akathist into which a
particular saint's name is inserted.
I've not been able to find the words so far, but continue to search....
Here's a simply stunning Bogoroditse Devo; the choir is "From Age to Age," and they are quite wonderful here.
Bogoroditse Devo is the Eastern version of the Ave Maria; here's the original language with transliteration, plus an English translation:
Church Slavonic text:
Богородице Дево, радуйся,
Благодатная Марие, Господь с Тобою;
Благословена Ты в женах
и благословен плод чрева Твоего,
яко Спаса родила еси душ наших.
Transliteration:
Bogoroditse Devo, raduisya,
Blagodatnaya Mariye, Gospod s Toboyu.
Blagoslovenna Ty v zhenakh,
i blagosloven plod chreva Tvoyego,
yako Spasa rodila esi dush nashikh.
English translation
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos,
Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.
Blessed art Thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of Thy womb,
for Thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.
Cutting-edge interpretations and superb ensemble singing are trademarks of From Age To Age. Founded by Artistic Director Andrew Miller in January 2007, From Age To Age has quickly made a name for itself in the upper Midwest. The ensemble performed as an auditioned professional ensemble at the 2010 MN ACDA convention, and shortly after was invited to perform as a premier professional ensemble at the 2011 ICDA Summer Symposium. From Age to Age was highlighted as a "Regional Spotlight" group on Minnesota Public Radio in 2010 and will be featured on the Classical Minnesota Public Radio Holiday CD "A Taste of the Holidays", vol. II coming this December. The CD is a joint collaboration with the nationally syndicated radio show "The Splendid Table". The ensemble has collaborated with several high school, honors, collegiate, and semi-professional ensembles including Kantorei, The Youth Chorale of Central Minnesota, The Duluth East Choralaires, Bismark State College Choirs, and the Brainerd High School Chamber Singers.
The members of From Age to Age come from all areas of Minnesota and North Dakota,
brought together with a common passion for performing top quality a cappella music. They strive to share their talents with areas typically under-served in the choral arts. The ensemble makes it part of their mission to regularly perform at nursing and senior centers in the regions that they visit.
About Andrew Miller, Artistic DirectorAndrew
Miller, founder and artistic director of From Age to Age, is anaccomplished choral conductor, published composer/arranger, vocalist,and educator. Miller graduated from Brainerd High School in 2001 under the musical direction and inspiration of Dr. Michael Smith. Andrew holds a degree in vocal music education from Bemidji State University, and a masters degree in choral conducting from Minnesota State University, Mankato. Miller taught K-12 vocal music in the Long Prairie/Grey Eagle school district 2007-2008. Andrew has been invited as a guest clinician to the Minnesota Music Educators Association (MMEA) student convention in Mankato, MN, 2009, and to the Iowa Choral Directors Association (ICDA) Summer Symposium, July, 2011. Andrew is currently serving as Director of Choral Activities at Bismarck State College where he conducts the BSC Concert Choir, Chamber Singers, and Women's Chamber Ensemble, and teaches choral conducting, music theory, aural skills, and music appreciation.
History
From Age To Age was founded at the turn of the new year, January, 2007. Initially, several singers from the former Hannah/Brokering Sacred Ensemble helped form the foundation. Singers from all areas of the state eventually joined the ensemble to create the group as it is today: a chamber ensemble of highly trained vocal artists that come together throughout the year in different areas of the upper Midwest. From Age to Age focuses not only on performance, but also on outreach and educational programming. The ensemble has expanded its touring area with each successive season.
2010-2011 started with an additional focus on the Twin Cities metro area, and expanded into North Dakota and Iowa..
From Age to Age has an active educational outreach program. The ensemble visits high
schools and colleges across the upper Midwest, conducting focused educational workshops for both students and directors. In 2011, From Age to Age conducted workshops/collaborative performances with students at Bismarck State College (Bismarck, ND), St. Clair High School, and Lanesboro Senior and Junior High School. From Age to Age is currently accepting workshop inquiries for the 2011-2012 season. For more information, please contact info@fromagetoage.org.
These are some very nice chants posted by "Malankara Syriac Orthodox"
at YouTube; this one is actually part of a 22-video playlist, which is
well worth listening to all the way through. The YouTuber writes that
these are "Three prayers during the evening prayer." You can hear the
Kyrie at the opening - then the Compline Psalm 91 begins:
Here are the texts of the Compline Psalms and the Prayer of Severus, from the website of the Northeast American Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church:
Psalm 91
You, that sit in the shelter of the Most High, and abide in glory, in the shadow of God.
Say to the Lord: 'My trust and my refuge; the God in whom I confide.'
For He shall deliver you from the snare of stumbling, and from idle talk.
He shall keep you under His feathers, and by His wings, you shall be covered; and His truth shall encompass you like
an armor.
You shall not fear from the terror by night, and from the arrow that flies by the day:
And from the voice that travels in the darkness, and from the devastating wind in the noon.
Thousands shall fall at your side, and ten thousands at your right side. They shall not come near to you, but with your
eyes you shall see only; You shall see the revenge of the wicked.
(Since you have said), 'Thou art the Lord, my trust, who hast placed Thy abode in the heights.'
There shall no evil come near to you; neither shall any plague draw near to your dwelling place.
For He shall give His angels command concerning you, who shall protect you in all your ways.
And they shall bear you up in their hands, lest your foot stumble.
You shall tread upon the adder and the basilisk; and you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
(For the Lord has said): 'Since he has sought me, I will deliver him and strengthen him;'
'Since he has known my name he shall call upon me, and I will answer him, and be with him in affliction.' I will
strengthen him and honor him. With long life, will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.
Psalm 121
I will lift up my eyes to the mountain, from whence comes my helper.
My help is from the Lord who has made the heaven and the earth.
He will not suffer your foot to tremble; Your keeper shall not slumber:
For neither slumbers, nor sleeps the keeper of Israel.
The Lord is your keeper. The Lord shall overshadow you with His right hand.
The sun shall not smite you by day; nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall take care of you from all evil; the Lord shall take care of your life.
He shall watch over your exit and your entrance, henceforth forever.
And to You belongs the praise O God. Barekmor.
Glory be to the Father...Halleluiah, Halleluiah, Halleluiah now and always and forever Amen.
Prayer of St. Severus
O Lord who sittest in the secret place of the Most High, shelter us beneath the shadow of the wings of Thy mercy, and
have compassion upon us.
Thou, who hearest all things, in Thy loving kindness, hearken to the supplications of Thy servants.
Grant us, O Messiah; our Savior; a peaceful evening and a sinless night, for Thou art a glorious king, and unto Thee,
are our eyes lifted up.
Forgive our debts and our sins; have mercy upon us, both in this world and in that to come.
May Thy loving kindness shelter us O Lord, and Thy grace be upon our faces. May Thy cross protect us from the evil one
and his hosts.
Let Thy right hand overshadow us all the days of our lives, and Thy peace reign among us, do Thou give hope and salvation
to the souls that pray to Thee.
By the prayers of St. Mary, Thy Mother, and of all Thy Saints, O God, forgive us our debts, and have mercy upon us.
Amen.
Praise of the Cherubim † Blessed is the Glory of the Lord, from His place forever;
† Blessed is the Glory of the Lord, from His place forever;
† Blessed is the Glory of the Lord; from His place forever and ever.
Holy and glorious Trinity, have mercy upon us;
Holy and glorious Trinity, have mercy upon us;
Holy and glorious Trinity, have compassion and mercy upon us.
Holy art Thou, and glorious forever,
Holy art Thou, and glorious forever,
Holy art Thou, and blessed is Thy Name forever and ever.
Glory be to Thee, O Lord,
Glory be to Thee, O Lord,
Glory be to Thee, ever our hope, Barekmor.
Our Father who art in Heaven ...
Hail Mary, full of grace ...
Barekmor is apparently Syriac for "Bless me, O Lord."
I've posted video from this YouTuber
before; s/he points at the YouTube page to the GoogleSite syrianorthodox.
"Malankara"
is a designation applied to the Indian Orthodox Church; the connection
with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch is explained in this article:
As part of the Saint Thomas Christian community, the church traced its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.[2]
As an independent faction, it originated in the first major split
within the Saint Thomas Christian community. Historically, the Thomas
Christians had been united in leadership and liturgy, and were part of
the Church of the East, based in Persia. However, the collapse of the Church of the East's hierarchy in Asia left the province of India effectively isolated, and through the 16th century, the Portuguese, recently established in Goa, forcefully drew the Thomas Christians into Latin RiteCatholicism. Resentment of these measures led the majority of the community to join the archdeacon, Thoma, in swearing never to submit to the Portuguese in the Coonan Cross Oath. Several months later Thoma was ordained as the first indigenous Metropolitan of Malankara.
Troparion of Pentecost, sung by the choir of the convent of Sameba-Jikheti. It can be found on their CD "Chant melodies."
"Blessed
art Thou, O Christ our God, Who hast revealed the fishermen as most
wise by sending down upon them the Holy Spirit - through them Thou didst
draw the world into Thy net. O Lover of Man, glory to Thee!"
Here's a melody used by the Greek Orthodox Church for the same chant, sung in English:
And this is the same Troparion, sung to "Tone 8 / Russian Imperial Court Chant":
A troparion (Greekτροπάριον, plural: troparia, τροπάρια; Church Slavonic: тропа́рь, tropar′) in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos (“something repeated”, “manner”, “fashion”). The early troparion was also called sticheron[citation needed] (probably from stichos, “verse”); but currently the two terms are treated separately, with different melodies used for each.
Most troparia are chanted to one of the Eight Tones
used in the Eastern liturgical tradition, though some have unique
melodies to which they are chanted. Sometimes, troparia will be
interpolated between verses of a psalm or other scripture.
In casual, unqualified use, troparion usually refers to the apolytikion (Greek: ἀπολυτίκιον), or "dismissal hymn", a troparion chanted near the end of Vespers
which establishes the overall theme for the liturgical day, for which
it is called the "troparion of the day". It is chanted again at the
beginning of Matins, read at each of the Little Hours, and chanted at the Divine Liturgy following the Little Entrance.
While
she remains nameless in the West, in the Orthodox world she's
celebrated as a major saint, given the name "Photine" or
"Photini" - i.e. "the enlightened one." She's called in various
traditions "Equal to the Apostles" and "the First Evangelist"; her name
is "Svetlana" in some parts of the world, a name which I believe also
means
"the enlightened one." She's celebrated on various dates - but
especially on the Fifth Sunday of Pascha,
the day on which her story is read. She's had a whole midrash-like
story built up around her, one that includes evangelical travels and
eventual martyrdom.
Here's the chant score,
with English words. As you'll see below in one of the citations, the
text is different in the Byzantine Catholic church (although what's
cited below could be the Kontakion for her feast day proper, and that
could easily explain the difference):
What's interesting, in fact, is that the Year A Lectionary in the
West, which uses Matthew's Gospel, reads instead from John during the
next few weeks of Lent; and they are the same passages read in the East for the Paschal Season.
This week, it's the woman the well; next week it's the man blind from
birth who gained his sight. (The West and East both have John's
raising of Lazarus in Lent, though; in the West it's on the Sunday
before Palm Sunday, in the East on Palm Sunday itself.)
The Gospel of John
(4:5-42) relates the encounter of Photine, the Samaritan woman, with
Christ at Jacob's well. She repented after a very gentle and wise
conversation with Christ and went and told her townspeople that she had
met the Christ. For this, she is sometimes claimed as the first to
proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
She converted
her five sisters (Ss. Anatole, Photo, Photis, Paraskeve, and Kyriake)
and her two sons (St. Photinos, formerly known as Victor, and St.
Joses). They all became tireless evangelists for Christ.
After the Apostles Paul and Peter were martyred, St. Photine and her family left their homeland of Sychar, in Samaria, to travel to Carthage to proclaim the Gospel of Christ there.
In 66 AD, under the persecutions of Emperor Nero, they all
achieved the crown of martyrdom, along with the Duke St. Sebastianos,
the close friend of St. Photinos.
Commemorated on March 20 (also commemorated on February 26 & the “Sunday of the Samaritan Woman”)
St. Photini lived in first century Palestine. She was the Samaritan
woman who Christ visited at the well asking her for water. It was she
who accepted the “living water” offered her by Christ Himself after
repenting from her many sins (John. 4:5-42). She went and told her
townspeople that she had met the Christ. For this, she is sometimes
recognized as the first to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. She converted
her five sisters (Sts. Anatole, Photo, Photis, Paraskeve, and Kyriake)
and her two sons (Victor and Joses). They all became tireless
evangelists for Christ.
The apostles of Christ baptized her and gave her the name of Photini
which means “the enlightened one.” She is remembered by the Church as a
Holy Martyr and Equal to the Apostles. After Sts. Peter and Paul were
martyred, St. Photini and her family left their homeland of Sychar, in
Samaria, to travel to Carthage to proclaim the Gospel of Christ there.
During the reign of Emperor Nero in the first century, excessive
cruelty was displayed against the Christians, St. Photini lived in
Carthage with her younger son, Joses. Her eldest son, Victor, fought
bravely in the Roman army against the barbarians, and was appointed
military commander in the city of Attalia (Asia Minor). Later, Nero
called him to Italy to arrest and punish Christians.
Sebastian, an official in Italy, said to Victor, “I know that you,
your mother and your brother, are followers of Christ. As a friend I
advise you to submit to the will of the emperor. If you inform on any
Christians, you will receive their wealth. I shall write to your mother
and brother, asking them not to preach Christ in public. Let them
practice their faith in secret.”
Victor replied, “I want to be a preacher of Christianity like my
mother and brother.” Sebastian said, “O Victor, we all know what woes
await you, your mother and brother.” Then Sebastian suddenly felt a
sharp pain in his eyes. He was dumbfounded, and his face was somber.
For three days Sebastian lay there blind, without uttering a word. On
the fourth day he declared, “The God of the Christians is the only true
God.” St. Victor asked why Sebastian had suddenly changed his mind.
Sebastian replied, “Because Christ is calling me.” Soon he was baptized,
and immediately regained his sight. St. Sebastian’s servants, after
witnessing the miracle, were also baptized.
Reports of this reached Nero, and he commanded that the Christians be
brought to him at Rome. The Lord Himself appeared to the confessors and
said, “Fear not, for I am with you. Nero, and all who serve him, will
be vanquished.” The Lord said to Victor, “From this day forward, your
name will be Photinus, because through you, many will be enlightened and
will believe in Me.” The Lord then told the Christians to strengthen
and encourage Sebastian to persevere until the end.
All these things, and even future events, were revealed to St.
Photini. She left Carthage in the company of several Christians and
joined the confessors in Rome.
At Rome, Emperor Nero ordered the saints to be brought before him,
and he asked them whether they truly believed in Christ. All the
confessors refused to renounce the Savior. The emperor then gave orders
to smash the martyrs’ finger joints. During the torture, the confessors
felt no pain, and their hands remained unharmed.
Nero ordered that Sts. Sebastian, Photinus and Joses be blinded and
locked up in prison, and St. Photini and her five sisters, Anatola,
Phota, Photis, Paraskeva and Kyriake, were sent to the imperial court
under the supervision of Nero’s daughter, Domnina. St. Photini converted
both Domnina and her servants to Christ. She also converted a sorcerer,
who had brought her poisoned food that was meant to kill her.
Three years passed, and Nero sent to the prison for one of his
servants, who had been locked up. The messengers reported to him that
Sts. Sebastian, Photinus and Joses, who had been blinded, had completely
recovered, and that people were visiting them to hear their preaching.
Indeed, the whole prison had been transformed into a bright and fragrant
place where God was glorified.
Nero then gave orders to crucify the saints, and to beat their naked
bodies with straps. On the fourth day, the emperor sent servants to see
whether the martyrs were still alive. Approaching the place of the
tortures, the servants fell blind. An angel of the Lord freed the
martyrs from their crosses and healed them. The saints took pity on the
blinded servants, and restored their sight by their prayers to the Lord.
Those who were healed came to believe in Christ and were soon baptized.
In a rage, Nero gave orders to flay the skin from St. Photini and to
throw her down a well. Sebastian, Photinus and Joses had their legs cut
off, and they were thrown to dogs, and then had their skin flayed off.
The sisters of St. Photini also suffered terrible torments. Nero gave
orders to cut off their breasts and to flay their skin. An expert in
cruelty, the emperor readied the fiercest execution for St. Photis: they
tied her by the feet to the tops of two bent-over trees. When the ropes
were cut, the trees sprang upright and tore the martyr apart. The
emperor ordered the others beheaded. St. Photini was removed from the
well and locked up in prison for twenty days.
After this, Nero had St. Photini brought to him and asked if she
would now relent and offer sacrifice to the idols. St. Photini spat in
his face, and laughing at him, said, “O most impious of the blind, you
profligate and stupid man! Do you think me so deluded that I would
consent to renounce my Lord Christ and instead offer sacrifice to idols
as blind as you?”
Hearing such words, Nero gave orders to throw St. Photini down a well, where she surrendered her soul to God in the year 66.
Kontakion (Tone 1) –
O Almighty Saviour, Who did pour forth water for the Hebrews from a solid rock:
You did come to the Land of Samaria, and addressed a woman,
whom You did attract to faith in You,
and she has now attained life in the heavens everlastingly.
By permission of the Orthodox Church in America (www.oca.org)
And I just can't leave out Mahalia Jackson's "Jesus Met the Woman at the Well"!
1 Let us now sing the praises of famous men,
our ancestors in their generations.
2 The Lord apportioned to them great glory,
his majesty from the beginning.
3 There were those who ruled in their kingdoms,
and made a name for themselves by their valour;
those who gave counsel because they were intelligent;
those who spoke in prophetic oracles;
4 those who led the people by their counsels
and by their knowledge of the people’s lore;
they were wise in their words of instruction;
5 those who composed musical tunes,
or put verses in writing;
6 rich men endowed with resources,
living peacefully in their homes—
7 all these were honoured in their generations,
and were the pride of their times.
8 Some of them have left behind a name,
so that others declare their praise.
9 But of others there is no memory;
they have perished as though they had never existed;
they have become as though they had never been born,
they and their children after them.
10 But these also were godly men,
whose righteous deeds have not been forgotten;
13 Their offspring will continue for ever,
and their glory will never be blotted out.
14 Their bodies are buried in peace,
but their name lives on generation after generation.
As
far as I can tell, this was introduced for the first time in the 1979
Book of Common Prayer as the Old Testament reading on All Saints' Day.
It was one of the first readings I ever heard in the church, and I found
it exquisitely beautiful.
Instead of a Psalm - unusual
- we sang hymn #560, "Blessèd are the poor in spirit." It's a Richard
Proulx arrangement of a Russian Orthodox chant; in the Orthodox liturgy,
I'm learning, the Beatitudes are chanted as the Gospel Book is carried
in procession to the sanctuary for the Gospel reading. That's a
wonderful liturgical practice! (The Beatitudes are, of course, the
Gospel reading for All Saints' Day every year.)
Here's the hymn, here sung at Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Jacksonville Florida:
[Antiphon:]
Remember your servants, Lord,
when you come in your kingly power.
1 Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2 Blessed are those who mourn;
for they shall be comforted.
3 Blessed are the meek;
for they shall inherit the earth.
4 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness;
for they shall be satisfied.
5 Blessed are the merciful;
for they shall obtain mercy.
6 Blessed are the pure in heart;
for they shall see God.
7 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called the children of God.
8 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake;
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
9 Blessed are you when the world reviles you and persecutes you;
and utters all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake:
Rejoice and be exceeding glad;
for great is your reward in heaven.
[Antiphon:]
Remember your servants, Lord,
when you come in your kingly power.
Source: Hymnal 1982: according to the use of the Episcopal Church #560
It's really a beautiful song, with terrific harmonies - and of course the text is superb.
This sounds like it may be the Russian version Proulx worked from, sung by a choir at Holy Trinity Church (OCA) in Yonkers, NY:
The YouTuber wrote there that:
The
Beatitudes were pronounced by Jesus during his Sermon on the Mount and
were recorded by St. Matthew. ........In the Gospel writings, the
beatitudes introduce the teachings of Jesus and are traditionally
considered to contain the most concise summary of the spiritual life of
man. In the Orthodox Divine Liturgy, the beatitudes are chanted when
the Book of the Gospels is carried in solemn procession to the
sanctuary to be proclaimed as the Word of God to the faithful. Thus it
is the clear teaching of the Gospel and the Church that one enters into
the mysteries of Christ and the Kingdom of God only by way of
following the Lord's teachings in the beatitudes. And He opened His
mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. "Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted. "Blessed are the meek, for they shall
inherit the earth. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. "Blessed are the
merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. "Blessed are the pure in
heart, for they shall see God. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called sons of God. "Blessed are those who are
persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and
utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and
be exceedingly glad, for your reward is great in heaven (Matthew
5:2-12; Cf Luke 6:20-26)
Here, BTW, is Arvo Pärt's setting of the Beatitudes; gorgeous as usual:
The
preacher noted that All Saints' Day was the only feast of the year that
could be celebrated twice - once on November 1, and again on the Sunday
after November 1. Quite interesting, really, that this is so; to me,
this makes a powerful statement about the importance of this day - and
I've felt that since the first time I ever attended an All Saints' Day
service. All Saints' is one of the four days on which baptism is
"especially appropriate," too, according to the BCP; the first time I
attended a service on this day, there were four baptisms. All of that,
and the readings and music, makes All Saints' a uniquely resonant
experience; today, for the first time really, I truly got an
understanding of the church as the mystical Body of Christ, and of all Christians, everywhere and from every era, as disciples, all living a common life and under a common vision.
I
sort of like it that in Anglicanism, All Saints' and All Souls' Days
have been collapsed into one thing; I like that idea, again, of that complete statement about "discipleship," and the notion that the whole church
is celebrated. (I'm also quite happy that many parishes offer a
requiem mass on All Souls' Day, too, even though it's not an official
Holy Day. Nothing at all wrong with any of that.)
Here's the beautiful Collect for All Saints:
Almighty
God, you have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to
follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we
may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who
truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the
Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
This
collect was composed for the 1549 Book. The 1662 revision substituted
"blessed" for "holy," and "in all virtuous and godly living" for "in all
virtues, and godly living." The present revision replaces
"unspeakable" with "ineffable" since "unspeakable" has so changed and
negative a connotation in modern English. The collect expresses in an
admirable way Saint Paul's conception of the church as the Body of
Christ.
I heard this song at my first All Saints' Day service, too, and again today:
Holy is the True Light,
and passing wonderful,
lending radiance to them that endured
in the heat of the conflict.
From Christ they inherit
a home of unfading splendour,
wherein they rejoice with gladness evermore.
Alleluia!
Words from the Salisbury Diurnal by G.H. Palmer
For
the last hymn, it was Ralph Vaughan Williams' "For All the Saints." I
used to cry when I sang this one; I don't really know why. (I have a
feeling it may partly be all that martial imagery, in combination with
this majestic melody!) I remember singing this one when I was a child,
and it always moved me then - and whenever I heard it later on in life.
I was watching people in the choir as they came down the aisle singing,
and saw some really blissful faces - so I know it still has that effect
on people. Not me, though; now I weep at other hymns, and not
at this one anymore.
You
were transfigured on the mountain, O Christ God, / revealing Your glory
to Your disciples as far as they could bear it. / Let Your everlasting
Light also shine upon us sinners, / through the prayers of the
Theotokos. / O Giver of Light, glory to You!
Kontakion — Tone 7
On
the Mountain You were Transfigured, O Christ God, / And Your disciples
beheld Your glory as far as they could see it; / So that when they would
behold You crucified, / They would understand that Your suffering was
voluntary, / And would proclaim to the world, / That You are truly the
Radiance of the Father!
The Apolytikion (Greek: Ἀπολυτίκιον) or Dismissal Hymn is a troparion (hymn) said or sung at Orthodox Christianworship services. The apolytikion summarizes the feast being celebrated that day. It is chanted at Vespers, Matinsand the Divine Liturgy; and it is read at each of the Little Hours. The name derives from the fact that it is chanted for the first time before the dismissal (Greek: apolysis) of Vespers. In the Orthodox Church, the liturgical day begins at sunset, so Vespers is the first service of the day. The term apolyikion is used in Greek tradition. In Slavic tradition the term troparion is specifically used to stand for Apolytikion, whilst troparion is of more generic usage in Greek tradition.
The apolytikion could be compared in the Western liturgy to the collect or post-communion, inasmuch as it changes for each feast-day of the year and specifically commemorates the subject of the feast.
Communion Hymn from the Paraklesis To Saint Mary Magdalene The Myrrh-Bearer. Plagal 4th tone. Chanted By"Monks of the Holy Monastery of Simonos Petra, Mount Athos.
Text in English: "Her sound has gone forth into all the earth, and her words unto the end of the world, Alleluia (cf. Ps19-5)
A Paraklesis (Greek: Παράκλησις) or Supplicatory Canon in the Orthodox Christian Church and Eastern Catholic Churches, is a service of supplication for the welfare of the living. It is addressed to a specific Saint or to the Most Holy Theotokos whose intercessions are sought through the chanting of the supplicatory canon together with psalms, hymns, and ekteniae (litanies).
The most popular Paraklesis is that in which the supplicatory canon and other hymns are addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos (the Mother of God). There are two forms of this service: the Small Paraklesis (composed by Theosterictus the Monk in the 9th century), and the Great Paraklesis (composed by Emperor Theodore I Ducas Lascaris in the 13th century). During the majority of the year, only the Small Paraklesis to the Theotokos is chanted. However, during the Dormition Fast (August 1—14, inclusive), the Typikon prescribes that the Small and Great Paraklesis be chanted on alternate evenings, according to the following regulations:
If August 1st falls on a Monday through Friday, the cycle begins with the Small Paraklesis. If August 1st falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the cycle begins with the Great Paraklesis.
On the eves of Sundays (i.e., Saturday nights) and on the eve of the Transfiguration (the night of August 5) the Paraklesis is omitted.
On Sunday nights, the Great Paraklesis is always used unless it is the eve of Transfiguration.
